Savannah is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in the southeast portion of Wayne County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 1,730 at the 2010 census. The town has a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

(and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

), also called

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

. Government offices for the town are located there.

History

Fort Hill, located on the highest land in the town, is a historic native village and was the site of a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

mission in the 17th century, built by the remains of an earlier, "Owasco," village. Like other nearby towns, Savannah was part of the

Central New York Military Tract The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War. Establishment Th ...

. Settlers arrived in more modern times around 1808, but Savannah is considered to be the last town in the county that was settled. The Town of Savannah was created from the Town of

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one of ...

on November 24, 1824. Wiley Schoolhouse (built 1874) is a fully restored historic one-room school for the former District #11 located at the intersection of Wiley (CR 374), Hogback and Olmstead roads in the southwest part of town.Wayne County Office of the County Historian - Savannah, New York
Retrieved Feb. 3, 2015 The Crusoe House (built 1824), located on N.Y. Route 89 near Crusoe Lake, is currently the oldest building in the Town of Savannah. Originally a hotel and tavern, the first ever town meeting was held there in April 1825. It also served as the first post office.
Retrieved Feb. 3, 2015.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.53%) is water. The eastern town line is the border of

Cayuga County Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Confeder ...

, and the southern boundary is the border of Seneca County. Savannah is west of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

New York State Route 31 New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its e ...

, an east–west highway, is partly conjoined with

New York State Route 89 New York State Route 89 (NY 89) is a north–south state highway in central New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 13, NY 34, and NY 96 in the Tompkins County city of Ithaca to an in ...

, a north–south highway in the town. This swamp-ridden area north of

Cayuga Lake Cayuga Lake (,,) is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under long. Its average width is , and it is a ...

has several conservation areas, including

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, encompassing part of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake. The preserve is composed of swamps, pools and channels an ...

, located within the southern portion of the town. The Montezuma Audubon Center, located on N.Y. Route 89 near Crusoe Lake, is a state-owned nature education facility and preserve operated under cooperative agreement between the

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

and the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

.Montezuma Audubon Center (About Us)
Retrieved Sep. 29, 2015.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,730 people, 630 households, and 430 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 48.1 people per square mile (18.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.6%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 4.4% of the population. There were 630 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 20, 4.5% from 20 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,176, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $39,191 versus $30,833 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $20,629. About 9.1% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Housing

There were 695 housing units at an average density of 19.3 per square mile (7.5/km²); a total of 9.4% of housing units were vacant. There were 630 occupied housing units in the town, of which 512 were owner-occupied units (81.3%), while 118 were renter-occupied (18.7%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 9.9%.

Communities and locations in Savannah

*Crusoe — A location on the south town line west of Evans Corner. *Crusoe Lake — A

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located north of Savannah

. *Evans Corner — A hamlet on the south town line on NY-89. *Fort Hill — A hamlet south of Savannah hamlet. It is the highest point in the town. * Mays Point — A historic location in the south part of the town. *Pangburn Corners — A location at the north town line on County Road 272. *

Montezuma Marsh Montezuma Marsh is a marsh at the northern end of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York. Much of the marsh is part of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, which is a major point on the route of many migratory bird ...

— An important

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

in the southwest part of the town. *Noble Corner — A hamlet on the west town line. * Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area — Conservation areas in the center of the town. *

— A hamlet at the junction of NY-31 and NY-89. The community was formerly an incorporated village (1867), but later abandoned that status in 1979. *Tamarack Swamp — A swamp north of Crusoe Lake.

References

External links

Savannah Chamber of Commerce

Savannah Cellarsavers

Montezuma Audubon Center
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Wayne County, New York 1824 establishments in New York (state)